Young Exiles Meet Sevens King Serevi

The Exiles DHL Sevens team had a real treat at the Carrick Sevens tournament last weekend when they came up against Fiji's Sevens king Waisale Serevi and beat him!

While the Exiles DHL Sevens coach Kevan Bell expected his younger players to move forward along their development pathway, through Sevens, he had not expected them to go up against Sevens maestro, Waisale Serevi.

In their first game at Carrick, on Sunday, the Irish Exiles faced Mels Exiles, an invitation side from Wales, who had recruited Serevi.

However the presence of the Fijian inspired the Irish to play their best Sevens of the tournament and they ran out winners by 28-0.

The Manvik Premier event was run on a league basis with only experienced and well-drilled Sevens sides in the competition. So the young Exiles were continually tested.

In their second game the Exiles squandered at least three scoring opportunities on the try-line against the polished Wooden Spoon Sevens from England. Inexperience showed as the Exiles lost 24-10.

As they progressed through the competition some valuable lessons were learnt about running lines in attack and defending the inside shoulder when under attack.

Despite losing to the eventual winners, the Kooga Wailers, and the Newcastle Falcons Academy side, the Exiles DHL Sevens got to the final of the Plate against the Ulster President's side.

The Ulster Presidents Sevens, coached by former Ireland international Jonny Bell, lined up against the Exiles with some familiar faces - Cillian Willis (Ulster and Ireland 'A'), Timoci Nagusa (Ulster and Fiji), Mark McCrea (Ulster and Ireland 'A') were included as well as other members of the Ulster squad and the province's Academy.

Fijian Nagusa had just too much pace for the Exiles and ran in two tries in quick succession. The Exiles, starved of ball, fought hard in defence but conceded another try.

However, in the second half, when they got some ball they ran in two tries of their own. Ulster came back with another try to win the Plate competition.

Coach Kevan Bell recognises that the Exiles Sevens squad is in a transitional phase and the primary reason for Sevens is the development of young players.

"When playing the shorter version of the game skill levels, be they in attack or defence, must be high and execution accurate," he said.

"The physical confrontation at the breakdown is intense, with players being rucked off the ball if their body position is poor."

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.